2019 FRCS COMMUNITY SUMMER READING BOOK

As we did last year, at the request of the Student Advisory Board, the English Department has

implemented a summer reading program with the goal of making the reading a more authentic, less

onerous, yet still academically valuable experience. We also hope to provide more options so that the

book you choose is one of interest to you. Accordingly, in addition to the one book you’ll be assigned

based on the English class you are taking next year (note: AP English classes and honors classes may

have additional reading requirements), you will read one of the 40 books on this list. 40 High School

Staff members have selected a book. Please list your top three choices. You will have one of those

choices assigned to you before the end of the school year.

Assignment: 3 easy steps

1) Read the book selected/assigned;

2) Take reading notes to bring with you at the start of the school year. The notes need not be in

any formal format. Just have observations, questions and insights to participate in a discussion

about the book; and

3) During a LEGO the first week of school, you will meet with the staff member who selected the

book and other students who read it and chat about the book.

Goal: If you bring in notes to turn in and participate in the discussion, you have completed the

assignment! If not, your English teacher will assign you an alternate assignment to make up for your

failure to do the summer reading. Please do not let that happen.

LIST YOUR TOP 3 CHOICES AND YOUR NAME – PLEASE BE LEGIBLE

Name: _______________________________________________________________

Choice 1: ______________________________________________________________

Choice 2: _______________________________________________________________

Choice 3: ___________________________________________________________________

1. If Beale Street Could Talk – James Baldwin (1974)

A love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined when one lover is falsely imprisoned. Set in Harlem in the 1970’s, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche.

2. The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupéry (1943)

A fable and modern classic by French aviator and writer Antoine de Saint-

Exupéry. The simple tale tells the story of a child, the little prince, who

travels the universe gaining wisdom. This book has been translated into

hundreds of languages and has sold some 200 million copies worldwide,

making it one of the best-selling books in publishing history.

3. The Silence of the Lambs – Thomas Harris (1988)

In this thriller, the FBI requires the help of a cannibalistic serial killer, Hannibal Lecter,

in order to catch another serial killer, Buffalo Bill, who enjoys parading about in the

flayed skins of his victims. Clarice Starling, a young trainee agent, is sent to visit Lecter

in prison and charm him into offering help.

4. He, She and It – Marge Piercy (1991)

A post-apocalyptic future America story examining gender roles, human identity, AI, political economy, environmentalism, love, and storytelling through a suspenseful plot, the romance between a human woman and the cyborg created to protect her community from corporate raiders.

5. Norse Mythology – Neil Gaiman (1998)

What do Marvel Comics, The Lord of the Rings series, and Game of Thrones

all have in common? They're all modern popular media influenced by Norse

mythology! Neil Gaiman's book retells a variety of myths from the Norse

canon in an engaging and easy to follow chronicle that includes familiar

characters such as Thor, Loki, and Odin, and many more characters.

6. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman (2017)

Smart, warm, uplifting, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the

story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and

unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes the only

way to survive is to open your heart. (Families: please note that there are many mature elements presented in this novel)

7. Becoming – Michelle Obama (2018)

This memoir details Michelle Obama's upbringing, ever-shifting aspirations and her trials and responsibilities as a wife, mother, and First Lady. According to Forbes Magazine, this book sold 2 million copies within two weeks of its release, and became the best-selling book in 2018. While this read may be longer than others, it delivers. The story of an inspired and inspiring woman.

8. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón (2001)

Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War,

and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his

mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind by

Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes

a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy

of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s

books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into

one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets—an epic story of murder, madness, and

doomed love.

9. I, Robot - Isaac Asimov (1950)

1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a

human being to come to harm

2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where

such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does

not conflict with the First or Second Law.

In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot through a

series of interlinked stories: from its primitive origins in the present to its

ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future—a future in which humanity itself may be

rendered obsolete.

10. Warriors Don't Cry - Melba Pattillo Beals (1994)

In 1957 nine students entered Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas. These students faced racism, mobs and hostile classmates in their quest for an integrated education. In Warriors Don't Cry, Mebla Beals tells her account of what it was like to be one of the Little Rock Nine.

11. Mr. Miracle – Tom King & Mitch Gerads (2019)

Scott Free is the greatest escape artist who ever lived. He escaped Granny

Goodness' gruesome orphanage and the dangers of Apokolips to travel

across galaxies and set up a new life on Earth with his wife, Big Barda. Using

the stage alter ego of Mister Miracle, he has made quite a career for himself

showing off his acrobatic escape techniques. You might say Scott Free has

everything--so why isn't it enough? Mister Miracle has mastered every

illusion, achieved every stunt, pulled off every trick--except one. He has

never escaped death. Is it even possible? Our hero is going to have to kill

himself if he wants to find out. Note: Make sure that you select the correct

collection of this graphic novel. This edition was published in 2019 and

reprints issues 1-12 of the 2017 Mister Miracle series.

12. Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino (1972)

“Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their

discourse is secret, their rules are absurd, their perspectives deceitful, and

everything conceals something else.” In a garden sit the aged Kublai Khan

and the young Marco Polo — Mongol emperor and Venetian traveler. Kublai

Khan has sensed the end of his empire coming soon. Marco Polo diverts his

host with stories of the cities he has seen in his travels around the empire:

cities and memory, cities and desire, cities and designs, cities and the dead,

cities and the sky, trading cities, hidden cities. As Marco Polo un-spools his

tales, the emperor detects these fantastic places are more than they appear.

13. Educated - Tara Westover (2018) Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was

seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was

so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure

the children received an education, and no one to intervene when

one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother

got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her

quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and

across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only

then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a

way home.

14. Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng (2017)

Amazon’s best novel of 2017 explores the weight of secrets in suburbia, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

15. The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway (1952)

The story of a battle between an aging, experienced fisherman, Santiago, and

a large marlin. Santiago, having gone 84 days without catching a fish, is a

social outcast for his bad luck.

16. Time and Again - Jack Finney (1970)

When advertising artist Si Morley is recruited to join a covert government operation exploring the possibility of time travel, he jumps at the chance to leave his twentieth-century existence and step into New York City in January 1882. Aside from his thirst for experience, he has good reason to return to the past—his friend Kate has a curious, half-burned letter dated from that year, and he wants to trace the mystery.

17. Hey Kiddo - Jarrett J. Krosoczka (2018)

In a graphic memoir subtitled How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt With Family Addiction, writer/artist Jarrett J. Krosoczka, who was abandoned by his drug addicted mother, makes visible — and poignant and funny — what is most important about that experience: Somehow, you can still love your imperfect family and survive with your spirit unbroken. (Families: please note that there are many mature elements presented in this novel)

18. A Spell for Chameleon – Piers Anthony (1977)

In a land ruled by magic, Bink finds himself the only person

without magic. Powerless and facing exile, Bink must

overcome the odds.

19. Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell (1965)

Malcolm Gladwell examines "outliers" - the best and the brightest, the most

famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high achievers

different? Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it

takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made

the Beatles the greatest rock band.

20. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn – Betty Smith (2003)

A semi-autobiographical book about a young woman trying to succeed despite

being born into poverty in Brooklyn, New York in the 1950’s. Is determination

enough to thrive under such circumstances?

21. Born on a Blue Day – Daniel Tammet (2006)

The memoir of a man who is distinctly different from everyone else - born both a savant

and with autism, Tammet holds the current record for being able to recite the most

digits in pi.

22. Arguably - Christopher Hitchens (2011)

This collection of shorter essays takes a critical look at topics everyone should know.

Hitchens masterful use of the English language and his longing for logic, reason and

justice culminate in this wonderful work.

23. Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn (2012)

This novel tackles dishonesty, accuracy in the media, the unhappiness that

comes with a troubled economy, and the superficial nature of humanity in

a crime suspense thriller.

24. Salt: A World History - Mark Kurlansky (2003)

The only rock we eat. A substance so valuable it served as currency, salt

has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and

financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions. Sprinkle some

on your fries as you read this book!

.

25. An Exorcist Tells his Story - Father Gabriel Amorth (1990)

If you ever wondered what dangers might lie behind the Ouija board, curses,

witchcraft, magic, spells this book is for you! It is a non-fiction work that

explains some of the chilling realities of the occult and its practices. Written

by a priest who was an exorcist, he spent his career casting out demons from

people who were possessed. (Families: please note that there are many

mature elements presented in this novel). Note: this is not The Exorcist – that

is a fiction book.

26. The Best and the Brightest - David Halberstam (1972)

David Halberstam mines the genesis of the most tragic foreign policy decision in

the history of the United States when he exhumes the strategies and

prescriptions of a presidential administration that would transform American

involvement in Vietnam from benign midwives of democracy to vengeful agents

of an irrevocable destruction and wrongheadedness that would tear two

countries apart.

27. With the Fire on High - Elizabeth Acevedo (2019)

The inspiring story of a teen mom and her passion for cooking.

28. The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey - Che Guevara, Ernesto Guevara

(1995)

Ernesto "Che" Guevara, a 23-year-old medical student and Marxist revolutionary, left

behind his middle-class life in Buenos Aires to explore the South American continent

with his good friend Alberto Granado. (Families: please note that there are many

mature elements presented in this novel)

29. How to Win Friends & Influence People - Dale Carnegie (1936)

If you don't think you need advice on how to win friends and influence people, this

is the book for you... "It will make you a better person. It will improve your life. Most

importantly, it will improve the lives of the people you love and the people you meet

each day."

30. Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging - Sebastian Junger (2016)

For many soldiers war feels better than peace, and for many civilians disasters are

sometimes remembered fondly. The irony, Sebastian Junger argues, stems from a

modern disconnect from our tribal roots. Veterans develop deep bonds within their

platoon, and in times of tragedy, people come together to find strength to rebuild.

Throughout history, tribes provided a sense of community and purpose. In an

increasingly complex and divided world, Tribe explores what we can learn from these

communal societies about loyalty, belonging, and our search for meaning.

31. Leonardo Da Vinci - Walter Isaacson (2015)

A biography of one of the world’s greatest minds that studies creativity: how to

define it, how to achieve it.

32. Salem's Lot - Stephen King (1981)

Thousands of miles away from the small township of 'Salem's Lot, two

terrified people, a man and a boy, share and must return to 'Salem's Lot for a

final confrontation with the unspeakable evil that lives on in the town.

33. The Bad Place - Dean Koontz (1990)

Frank Pollard is afraid to fall asleep. Every morning he awakes, he discovers

something strange—like blood on his hands—a bizarre mystery that tortures his

soul. Two investigators have been hired to follow the haunted man. But only one

person—a young man with Down’s Syndrome—can imagine where their

journeys might end. That terrible place from which no one ever returns.

34. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini (2003)

A protagonist makes a youthful mistake growing up in Afghanistan and spends his whole

life, including living in Pakistan and the U.S., trying to redeem himself. (Families: please

note that there are many mature elements presented in this novel). Note:

Students who chose this novel last year may not choose it again this year.

35. Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's - John Elder Robison (2007)

"As sweet and funny and sad and true and heartfelt a memoir as one could

find.... Ever since he was young, John Robison longed to connect with other

people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to

blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot

holes (and stick his younger brother in them)—had earned him the label “social

deviant.” It was not until he was forty that he was diagnosed with a form of

autism called Asperger’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way he

saw himself—and the world. A darkly funny memoir about a life that has taken

him from developing exploding guitars for KISS to building a family of his own."

36. All Souls: A Family Story from Southie - Michael Patrick MacDonald (1999)

Set in Boston in the 1970s: busing, drugs, crime... this book traces the

challenges of a family that experiences profound loss.

37. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (2019)

A young Vietnamese American writes a letter to his abusive mother about his

struggle to find love and a sense of identity. In the process, he comes to appreciate

the struggles of her life, too. herself.

38. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (1953)

Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and

literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put

them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the

printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden.

39. The Push: A Climber's Search for the Path - Tommy Caldwell (2018)

A dramatic true story by legendary rock climber Tommy Caldwell, the first person

to free climb the dizzying Dawn Wall of Yosemite’s El Capitan. This real-life

adventure delivers thrills with colorful details of courage and perseverance and

enriches readers with an absolutely captivating glimpse into how a simple yet

unwavering personal resolve can inspire one to come back stronger and turn

adversity into reward.

40. A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There – Aldo Leopold (1949)

American ecologist, forester, and environmentalist Aldo Leopold wrote this

collection of essays to advocate Leopold's idea of a "land ethic", or a

responsible relationship existing between people and the land they inhabit.

The book is considered a landmark in the American conservation movement

and has changed the environmental movement and stimulated a widespread

interest in ecology as a science. It is perhaps best known for the following

quote, which defines his land ethic: "A thing is right when it tends to preserve

the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when

it tends otherwise."